my flight of ideas

It’s not a good news item for Catholics to learn of this Christmas Day, but yes – Pope Benedict XVI was attacked by a female bystander (Susanna Maiolo, 25) as the pontiff was making his way down the aisle of St. Peter’s Basilica to celebrate Christmas Midnight Mass at the Vatican. The video is below; the corresponding news report is here. This happened around 5:00 am PST (Philippine Standard Time; GMT +8).

If the video above won’t work, here is an alternative link. Below is a freeze frame of the woman jumping over the barricade:

The Pope was able to recover, and he along with the other cardinals (save for one whose hip was fractured and had to be brought to the hospital) continued with the celebration of the Mass.